KANSAS CITY, Mo. | United Soccer Coaches - McKendree University men's soccer found itself rising in the national poll after the opening weekend of action as the Bearcats went 2-0-0 in two true road games and rose seven spots to No.17 in NCAA Division II, as released by USC on Tuesday afternoon. The now 17th-ranked Bearcats traverse their final non-conference bout on Wednesday, Septemeber 11 at Ohio Dominican after claiming victories over then-No.23 Southern Nazarene and Rogers State in Oklahoma to begin the campaign on September 5 and 7. Following the first weekend and pair of wins against two regionally-ranked adversaries, senior midfielder Philipp Schmidt earned his first career Great Lakes Valley Conference honor, taking home a Offensive Player of the Week nod from the league. The Bearcats are the top-ranked GLVC squad in the poll and are one of two represented from the league.

United Soccer Coaches National Poll - NCAA Division II Men

Rank	School	Prev	W-L-T
1	Franklin Pierce University	1	2-0-0
2	Colorado State University-Pueblo	2	2-0-0
3	California State University-Los Angeles	5	1-0-0
4	Lynn University	19	2-0-0
5	Wingate University	20	2-0-0
6	Auburn University Montgomery	NR	2-0-0
7	Midwestern State University	8	1-0-1
8	Purdue University Northwest	NR	2-0-0
9	Point Loma Nazarene University	RV	1-0-1
10	Coker University	NR	2-0-0
11	Tiffin University	22	1-0-1
12	California State University-San Bernardino	NR	1-0-1
13	Mississippi College	RV	2-0-0
14	Southern Nazarene University	23	1-1-0
15	Fort Lewis College	21	1-0-1
16	Assumption University	NR	2-0-0
17	McKendree University	24	2-0-0
18	Florida Tech	3	1-1-0
19	University of Charleston	9	1-0-1
20	Lincoln Memorial University	RV	2-0-0
21	Cal Poly Pomona	10	2-1-0
22	Fort Hays State University	RV	2-0-0
23	Post University	14	1-0-1
24	University of Colorado-Colorado Springs	NR	1-0-1
25	Lewis University	4	0-1-1

Recap at No.23 Southern Nazarene
No.24 McKendree University men's soccer (1-0-0) battled through a top-25 matchup to open the 2024 campaign with a 1-0 victory, defeating No.23 Southern Nazarene during a true road contest. The Bearcats defeated the Crimson Storm 1-0, mirroring their NCAA Tournament victory over SNU from last November, with freshman defender Philipp Muehlhans scoring his first collegiate goal as the game-winner in the 33rd minute. Sophomore goalkeeper Christian Herluf added another shutout performance to his resume in the win, collecting three saves while now totaling 15 career clean sheets. 

Recap at Rogers State
No.24 McKendree University men's soccer out-paced Rogers State to collect another true road win during non-conference play, defeating the Hillcats 4-2 and four different goal scorers. The Bearcats were led to the victory by an eventual game-winner by senior midfielder Philipp Schmidt while three players, freshman midfielder Matthaeus Hirschmann, freshman defender Pablo Pola, and junior forward Rezhis Koxhaj, each fired their first goal as Bearcats.

Schmidt's First Career POTW
McKendree University men's soccer senior midfielder Philipp Schmidt, a native of Heidelberg, Germany, earned his first career GLVC Offensive Player of the Week honor following a 2-0-0 weekend where the senior fired and assisted on a game-winning goal, as announced by the league office on Monday afternoon. Schmidt, a senior captain for the 24th-ranked Bearcats, helped push his team to a ranked win over No.23 Southern Nazarene and then against Rogers State, both of which were regionally-ranked programs at the conclusion of last season.